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Trinitarian Letters: Your Adoption and Inclusion in the Life of God by Paul Kurts

Paul Kurts has written a new and quite unique book about the Trinity and incorporation of believers into the life of God. He writes early on that, "The radical truth of this means that in Christ the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form and that we have been given fullness in Christ" (3). I really appreciate the way Kurts locates the fundamental reality of being adopted by God and being `in Christ' as providing a foundational plight for theology. He also rightfully places Christ as the intercessor for believers not in some temporary spot but as an eternal intercessor advocating for us on our behalf.

Yet, the book is wrought with problems, both theologically and by its format. First, Kurts writes, "Satan wants us to desperately to believe that God chose some to be saved and in relationship with Him forever, and chose others to be tormented and tortured forever in the eternal flames …

Prepared By Grace, For Grace by Joel R. Beeke and Paul M.
Smalley http://www.heritagebooks.org/prepared-by-grace-for-grace-the-puritans-on-gods-way-of-leading-sinners-to-christ/
This new book on the Puritans and God’s ordinary way of
leading sinners to Christ is a reservoir of research and careful study into the
primary and secondary sources concerning preparation. Many readers will know of Joel R. Beeke, who
has made himself a household name by his many works on the Puritans, including
most recently his work entitled Puritan Theology. Paul Smalley, Beeke’s teacher’s assistant
brings to the table some very keen insights about Puritan writing. So what is this book about? Well, for one thing, the authors indicate
that, “This book addresses the question of how God ordinarily brings sinner to
the point of trusting in Christ alone for salvation. Specifically, is conversion an event or a
process?....Does God ordinarily begin the work of conversion by first
convincing sinners of their g…

Francis: Man of Prayer by Mario Escobar
This new biography of the present Pope, Francis, is a foray
into the background, life, ministry and election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio. The author, Mario Escobar has written an
insightful and illuminating biography of Francis. Breaking the book up into three larger
section, Escobar deals with Francis’ early life, his ministry as a Cardinal and
the major challenges that he faces in a global world. What I thought was impressive about this
biography was the way in which Escobar brought to life the details about
Bergoglio’s early life that would carry through for the rest of the book.
Early on Escobar writes of Francis, “The Argentine
adolescent learned the value of work, and his work ethic has made him
indefatigable” (7). This boundless
energy that Francis has exhibits itself in his care for the poor and his
service to the church. There is never a
sense of pride that looks at where he came from and the position he has as a demonstration
that…

Holding onto the promises of God amidst a broken world full
of pain and suffering is not an easy task.
Yet, these devotional readings, entitled Rainbows for Rainy Days,
written by Catherine Campbell are a treasure house full of wisdom for the weary
traveler on the journey through the Christian life. Taking a Scripture, providing a short
meditation alongside a beautiful photograph, these devotional readings bring to
life the ways in which God pursues his people from beginning to end. I found myself throughout the book saying out
loud, “Yes, that is true, Amen to that!”
I would like to point out some reasons why this devotional is so valuable
for those following Christ. 1 1. Details
of the Story
Catherine takes great pains to
draw us into the story of the Bible, including those aspects of the narrative
that bring together God’s c…

Dead Lawyers Tell No Tales by Randy Singer http://www.tyndale.com/Dead-Lawyers-Tell-No-Tales/9781414383842#.UceQu_mTi8A
Spending time in prison for a point shaving scheme, Landon
Reed comes out of jail with a faithful wife by his side, Kerri. Soon after this, Landon quickly hits the
books training to be a lawyer in near Washington D.C. in Virginia. Randy’s new book, Dead Lawyers Tell No Tales
is a riveting tale full of surprise with an occasional twist in plot
detail. The story speeds up as Landon is
hired on as a lawyer with Harry McNaughten, one of the founders of McNaughten
and Clay. Unbeknownst to Landon, Harry
has been on the seat of many of controversial and most difficult court
cases. Rather than shove Landon in a
cubicle and wait for his turn to rise through the ranks of lawyers, Harry immediately
puts Landon front and center of a case that smells of insider trading and
murder.
One of the reasons I thought this book was so good was its
attention to developing Landon’s c…

Limitless: Devotions for a Ridiculously Good Life by Nick
Vujicic
Those familiar with Nick’s story will be amazed at how he
keeps on living the good life in the midst of what most people would deem an
utter tragedy. Having been born with no
limbs, Nick has gone through his share of peaks and valleys in life. This new book, Limitless is a gathering of
fifty devotions aimed at inspiring those down on their hopes and dreams and
needing a dose of encouragement. Each
devotion provides a Scripture passage, a short inspirational message, and an
ending few sentences set apart to anchor the message of each devotion in a
memorable fashion.
High Points of the Devotion
One cannot come away with many of the stories that Nick
tells without a sense of awe and wonder.
In lesson 7 Nick tells of his travels to China to speak to an orphanage,
one which housed those without families due to the devastating earthquake. Nick writes, “I didn’t have to inspire these
children. Instead, they inspired me…

About Me

My name is Spencer Cummins. I have a wonderful wife and a sweet daughter. I live in O'Fallon, Missouri and serve at Grace PCA of St. Charles County. My passions are reading, writing, playing with family. My hope is that this blog will ignite a desire to serve Christ and to think biblically and theologically about God and his world.